title

Muroid rodent communities in areas with varying degrees of fire damage: the Chernobyl polygons

author(s)

Denys Vyshnevskyi (orcid: 0000-0002-7824-5812)

affiliation

Chernobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve (Ivankiv, Ukraine)

bibliography

Theriologia Ukrainica. 2024. Vol. 27: 112–118 (in press).

DOI

language

Ukrainian, with English summary, titles of tables, captures to figs

abstract

As a result of climate change, forest fires are becoming a common factor in the dynamics of ecosystems in the forest zone of Ukraine, but the assessment of the consequences of this shift in the ecological situation is in the process of pilot studies. In the spring of 2020, a number of large ecosystem fires occurred in the Central Polissia region, which affected forests the most. Among other things, a large fire occurred in ecosystems located in the Exclusion Zone and the Zone of Unconditional (Mandatory) Resettlement, which was formed as a result of the Chornobyl accident. The ecosystems of the Chornobyl Radiological and Ecological Biosphere Reserve located within its boundaries were also affected by the fire. The consequences of this fire were assessed a year later, using mouse-like rodents as a model group. The purpose of the study was to assess and compare the communities of mouse-like rodents in areas that were affected by two degrees of fire damage—where there was a surface fire and those that were most affected (highland fire). Four polygons were created in the control-impact scheme. Each of the pairs of plots was identical in terms of typical forest vegetation conditions. Sherman traps were used for trapping. A total of 560 trap-days were processed, and 101 animals were captured. The presence of four species of rodents from the genera Apodemus, Sylvaemus, and Myodes was recorded, namely the striped field mouse, the yellow-necked wood mouse, the European wood mouse, and the bank vole. The main indicators of species diversity were calculated using information indices—species richness, evenness, and similarity. The surveys revealed both negative and positive changes in areas affected by fires. Areas characterised by relatively higher values of species diversity indices compared to the control had a high intensity of vegetation recovery. They belonged to areas with wet, relatively fertile (sugrud) and infertile (subor) forest types. The plots with low intensity of vegetation recovery had a depleted community structure and belonged to fresh and dry boreal forest. Based on this, it is possible to create a forecast of ecosystem restoration by assessing the type of forest vegetation conditions.

keywords

mouse-like rodents, forest fires, post-pyrogenic succession.

references

Buntova, E. G., S. P. Gashchak, G. A. Rudenskaya, T. T. Glazko. 2001. Estimation of impact of factors of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone on small mammals. Structure anf Functional Role of Vertebrates in Natural and Transformed Ecosystems. Dnipropetrovsk University, Dnipropetrovsk, 122–123. [Russian]
Fedoniuk, T., O. Borsuk, T. Melnychuk, A. Zymaroieva, V. Pazych. 2021. Assessment of the consequences of forest fires in 2020 on the territory of the Chornobyl radiation and ecological biosphere reserve. Scientific Horizons, 24 (8): 26–36. https://doi.org/10.48077/scihor.24(8).2021.26-36
Gashchak, S. P., D. O. Vyshnevsky, O. O. Zalisky. 2006. Vertebrate Fauna of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone (Ukraine). Chornobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Slavutych, 1–100. [Ukrainian]
Myroniuk, V., S. Zibtsev, J. G. Goldammer, V. Bogomolov, O. Borsuk, [et al.]. 2022. Fire risk assessment for prevention improvement in the Chornobyl exclusion zone. EGU General Assembly 2022 (Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022), EGU22-13368. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-13368
Schipanov, N. A. 2000. Some aspects of population stability of small mammals. Uspekhi Sovremennoj Biologii, 120 (1): 73–87. [Russian]
Shatunovskii, M. I., S. A. Shilova. 1995. Some approaches to problem of ‘technogenic catastrophe and biological systems’. Uspekhi Sovremennoj Biologii, 115 (5): 517–525. [Russian]
Shilova, S. A. 1999. Population organization of mammals under conditions of anthropogenic influence. Uspekhi Sovremennoj Biologii, 119 (5): 487–503. [Russian]
Spurr, S. H., B. V. Barnes. 1973. Forest Ecology. Ronald Press Company, New York, 1–571.
Suschenia, L. M., M. M. Pikulik, A. E. Plenin (eds). 1995. Animal World in the Chernobyl Accident Zone. Navuka i Tekhnika, Minsk, 1–263. [Russian]
Zibtsev, S. V., O. M. Soshenskyi, J. G. Goldammer, V. V. Myroniuk, O. A. Borsuk, [et al.]. 2023. Forest Management on Territories Contaminated with Unexploded Ordnance. Short report of the project WWF-Ukraine ‘Supporting responsible forestry for sustainable development in Central and Eastern Europe’. WWF-Ukraine, 1–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.22495.12966